Melbourne took on Brisbane at the MCG for the first time since 2001, and in a stunning boilover the Demons took the game ahead of the highly-fancied Lions by one point. The Demons got off to a strong start, kicking 5 goals to 2 in the opening term and leading until the last quarter when the Lions hit the front. With Simon Black and Luke Power in midfield dominating possession, and with Jonathan Brown up forward kicking his 5th goal, it was looking like Melbourne’s brave effort would fall just short. But Melbourne refused to give in, with a courageous pack mark by Brad Miller in the goalsquare enabling the Demons to regain the lead with just a minute left on the clock, and then to hang on for dear life to record their second win of the season.Melbourne 5.4 6.6 10.8 14.9 (93)Brisbane 2.3 5.9 9.13 13.14 (92)Goals : Melbourne - Sylvia 4 Miller 4 Wonaeamirri 2 Bate Bruce Green. Brisbane - Brown 5 Bradshaw 4 Hooper 2 Patfull RischitelliBest : Melbourne - Wheatley, Green, Johnson, Miller, Sylvia, Whelan, Jones. Brisbane - Power, Brown, Rischitelli, Bradshaw, Black.Injuries : Melbourne - McLean (ankle). Brisbane - Johnstone (hamstring) replaced in selected side by PolkinghorneReports – Nil. Umpires - Head, Armstrong, JefferyCrowd - 23,278 at the MCG.

Essendon’s third win on the trot, a 4-point thriller against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval, revived hopes that despite the Bombers’ horror run early in the season their finals hopes may not yet be over. But the Bombers were made to fight hard for their win by a determined Fremantle side who finished the stronger with a 5-goal final term. The game was a war of attrition, with injuries plaguing both sides during the match; and when Chris Tarrant goaled to put the Dockers within a kick with just minutes to go, a close finish was assured. Adam McPhee then became the hero for the Bombers, landing the hip-and-shoulder bump of the season to deny Byron Schammer the run that could have given the Dockers the winning play of the match.Essendon 3.2 7.5 11.9 14.11 (95)Fremantle 2.5 7.6 8.9 13.13 (91)Goals : Essendon - Lucas 2, Ramanauskas 2, Stanton 2, Hille 2, McVeigh, Lloyd, McPhee, Lonergan, Reimers, Lovett. Fremantle - Pavlich 6, Mayne 2, Tarrant 2, Hinkley, Solomon, Carr.Best : Essendon - McVeigh, Watson, Lovett, McPhee, Lovett-Murray, Peverill, Jetta. Fremantle - Sandilands, Pavlich, Mayne, Solomon, Bell, PalmerInjuries : Essendon - Fletcher (broken hand), Neagle replaced in selected side by Peverill. Fremantle -Hayden (hamstring), Dunn (hamstring), Crowley (lung), McPharlin replaced in selected side by Head.Reports – Nil. Umpires - McBurney, Stewart, NichollsCrowd - 34,239 at Subiaco Oval

Adelaide’s hopes that their home ground fortress at AAMI Stadium could help lead them to an upset win over top side Geelong were to be comprehensively dashed as the Cats put on a clinical display to overwhelm the home side by 68 points. Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel and Rising Star Joel Selwood were both in fine touch as the Cats seized the initiative from the opening bounce, holding the Crows to just a point in the first quarter and racing to a 45-point lead by half time. Adelaide’s third loss in a row sees the Crows struggling to remain in touch with the top 4.Geelong 4.6 9.8 12.11 18.16 (124)Adelaide 0.1 2.5 4.8 8.8 (56)Goals : Geelong - Lonergan 4, Stokes 3, Johnson, Corey, Mooney 2, Ling, Varcoe, Blake, Chapman, Mackie. Adelaide - Douglas 2, Burton, Johncock, Porplyzia, Massie, Edwards, Maric.Best : Geelong - Enright, Bartel, Selwood, Mackie, Johnson, Ling, Lonergan. Adelaide - Goodwin, Edwards, Stevens, MassieInjuries : Adelaide - Reilly (knee)Reports - Nil. Umpires - Rosebury, Stevic, ChamberlainCrowd - 44,377 at AAMI Stadium.

Collingwood maintained their recent dominance over Sydney in the traditional split-round blockbuster at ANZ Stadium, holding the Swans at bay for much of the contest to take out a 29-point victory. The Swans’ second goal was not to come until time-on in the third term, and by then the Magpies had already ground their way to a match-winning lead. But the Swans sparked a mini-revival in the final quarter, kicking the first 4 goals within 10 minutes to send a few nerves through the Magpie camp before Travis Cloke swooped on a loose ball to put the issue beyond doubt. In a largely defensively-minded and tough contest, the entertainment value was provided by young Magpie excitement machine Dale Thomas with two spectacular marks.Click here to see Harboursport's photo gallery from this match.Collingwood 1.5 5.7 8.12 11.13 (79)Sydney 1.3 1.5 2.7 6.14 (50)Goals: Collingwood - D Thomas 3 T Cloke 3 P Medhurst 2 C Wood J Anthony A Didak. Sydney - C Bird J Moore M O'Loughlin B Hall R O'Keefe H Playfair.Best : Collingwood - D Swan D Thomas S Wakelin T Cloke S O'Bree A Didak. Sydney - C Bird L Barry B Kirk J McVeigh D Jolly J Bolton.Injuries – Nil.Reports – Nil. Umpires - M Vozzo H Kennedy S Meredith.Crowd - 59,202 at ANZ Stadium.

Hawthorn’s twin towers, Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin, were again the difference as the Hawks returned to the winning list with a comfortable 57-point win over West Coast at the MCG. Getting off to a flying start, Hawthorn kicked 4 unanswered goals in the first term and led by 36 points at the long break. But West Coast fought back in the third term, kicking the first three goals to cut the margin in half and give the visitors a sniff. But, just when they looked to be getting back into the contest, a 50 metre penalty set up Buddy Franklin, and from there on the Hawks ran away with the contest.Hawthorn 4.8 10.8 11.15 18.18 (126)West Coast 0.4 4.8 7.11 9.15 (69)Goals : Hawthorn - Roughead 6, Franklin 5, Hodge 3, Osborne, Crawford, Williams, Birchall. West Coast -Hansen 4, McKinley 2, Hunter, Staker, Cox.Best : Hawthorn - Roughead, Crawford, Franklin, Hodge, Croad, Mitchell. West Coast - Cox, Kerr, Priddis, Davis, Hansen, Houlihan.Injuries : Hawthorn - Lewis (leg), Crawford (leg).Reports: Hawthorn - Renouf (striking Selwood)Umpires - Donlon, Farmer, RyanCrowd - 29,138 at the MCG.

Richmond were celebrating their centenary of their admission to the AFL, wearing a heritage black and yellow striped jumper for their match against traditional rivals Carlton in front of a blockbuster crowd at the MCG. Leading for much of the day, and with a 1-point lead at the last change, it was looking like a memorable day for the Tigers was in store. But Carlton spoiled the party in the last term, kicking the first 7 goals of the quarter to run away to a 30-point win and move into the top 8.Carlton 1.5 5.9 10.12 17.16 (118)Richmond 2.7 7.9 10.13 12.16 (88)Goals : Carlton - Fevola 4, Gibbs 3, Fisher 2, Betts 2, Murphy, Wiggins, Edwards, Cloke, Stevens, Grigg. Richmond - Hughes 3, Morton 3, Richardson, Johnson, Deledio, Riewoldt, Simmonds, Polak.Best : Carlton - Stevens, Carrazzo, Waite, Scotland, Bentick, Gibbs, Thornton. Richmond -Deledio, Bowden, Polo, Foley, Moore, Simmonds, McMahon.Injuries : Carlton - Judd (concussion) replaced in selected side by Anderson. Richmond - Richardson (hamstring), Thursfield (hamstring) replaced in selected side by King.Reports : Carlton - Thornton wrestling in the third quarter. Richmond - King for wrestling in the third quarterUmpires - Rosebury, Kamolins, WennCrowd - 73,503 at MCG

Only a small crowd was on hand on the Gold Coast as North Melbourne took on St Kilda, and early on it appeared they were likely to witness the Kangaroos record a victory. Kicking 4 unanswered goals in the first term, they led for much of the game and were 16 points clear at the last change. But at that point the Kangaroos ran out of legs, and the Saints took over the momentum; hitting the lead within 10 minutes of the restart and going on to record a 15-point victory. Gold Coast junior Nick Riewoldt was instrumental in the Saints’ last-quarter comeback, while Steven Milne’s 3 last-quarter goals also played a key part in turning the match on its head.St Kilda 0.3 4.3 6.7 12.12 (84)Kangaroos 4.4 6.7 8.11 9.15 (69)Goals : St Kilda - Milne 4, Koschitzke 2, Riewoldt, Armitage, Eddy, Fisher, King, Montagna. Kangaroos - Campbell 3, Harvey, Petrie, Hale, Harding, Wells, Harris.Best : St Kilda - Montagna, Riewoldt, Ball, Hudghton, Harvey, Gram. Kangaroos - Harvey, Simpson, Grant, Campbell, Gibson, Wells.Injuries - Nil.Reports – Nil. Umpires - McInerney, Sully, James.Crowd – 9,128 at Gold Coast Stadium, Carrara.